* "The teachable moment for reading: Just about the time that the student seems most ready to learn how to read." * "A transition extending over several months during which time the child (student) gradually changes from a non-reader to a beginning reader. In this case the readiness program couples the (student's) past learning with new learning and brings the (student), gradually, through the transition." (From Clay, M. M. 1992. Becoming literate: The construction of inner control. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.) The Ready-to-Read Child Simply put, reading readiness is the point at which a child is academically, emotionally, and mentally prepared to read. Being ready to read means that the child has the skills that he or she needs to understand the concepts of reading. It also means that the child can comprehend what he or she reads. The point of early literacy programs is that they prepare children to read. In the homeschooling environment, this means reading to young children, sharing verbal stories with children to spark their imaginations, and setting a good example for children by reading yourself. Interestingly, early literacy, or reading readiness, is often a "program" that comes naturally, especially to the parent that emphasizes the importance of education. Home school educators generally believe that learning is a lifelong process and that readying children for learning is as important as the act of learning itself. For this reason, reading readiness is a process that occurs rather naturally within the homeschooling environment. Preparing Children to Read Several strategies can help parents and homeschool educators prepare young children to read. Just as significantly, children should have easy access to reading material. From colorful and engrossing early reader books to TV programs that include elementary text-reading opportunities, and even the back of a cereal box, children tend to blossom when they have been surrounded by fun opportunities to read. Opportunities for reading often present themselves in unusual places. Some parents like to play word games with their children while driving. Others help their children prepare to read by locating letters on a page to teach their child letter recognition. Still, others employ traditional methods such as taking the time to read together for a few minutes each day. Even though children may seem to be only "looking at the pictures" when reading with an old child or an adult, they are also implicitly learning significant elements about words, sounds, and sentence structure. Children also need a great deal of guidance as they learn the basics of reading. Although every parent would like to believe that her or his child was born a genius, the truth is that even a genius needs help at the beginning. That's why it's important to make sure that children have help with beginning reading concepts such as phonics and syllabics. Taking the time to sit with a child and read with him or her can make all the difference in the world.   |